Best Beach Huts: Poly Plage

Beach Essentials

Where: Ivory Coast, West Africa
When: December – April
Activities: Relax in a desert fishing village in a beach shack
Remember to bring: Good book and a fan

Where It’s At

The Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) has wonderfully deserted beaches west of its capital Abidjan which remain entirely unspoilt. The area is about the size of Germany bordered by Liberia, Guinea, Mali, burkina Faso and Ghana. The region is humid and tropical in the coast, and wet throughout the autumn. The best season to visit is December to April. The coast is notable for an inland lagoon stretching 300 km along the Ghana border.

The prize jewel of the Coast is the Poly Plage fishing village where you can rent a shack for $6 a night, but you need to be driven out there. Once the centre of African development, the Ivory cost has fallen on hard times and massive debt, far from its glory days. Its most interesting element is its people, so if you’re interest in history, music or people it’s the place to be. It’s a mixture of cultures, Akan, Lebanese, French, Kru, Senoufo and the language and people are a fusion of France meets native Africa.

By Susi O’Neill